Achievement Unlocked: Life Manual Found

Why my ikigai bullet journal is a cheat code to an easier 2025

🌸 ikigai 生き甲斐 is a reason for being, your purpose in life - from the Japanese iki 生き meaning life and gai 甲斐 meaning worth 🌸

Imagine holding the ultimate walkthrough guide to your life in your hands, revealing hidden opportunities, offering strategies to overcome challenges and helping you craft a world of meaning and joy.

For me, that life manual is my ikigai bullet journal.

Not just a notebook but my companion, confidante and game plan for life. Filled with rainbow-inked dreams, messy brainstorms, and many precious "aha!" moments that would have been lost forever if I hadn't captured them on paper.

Betwixtmas is the perfect time to go deep into review and planning mode so I'm sat with three journals spread before me, my two well-loved 2024 companions, pages thick with a year's worth of learning and growth, and a pristine sunshiney yellow 2025 book crackling with possibility.

This moment of transition, this sacred space between reflection and intention, is SUCH a powerful tool we have to craft a life worth living.

A pause to reflect on past levels before jumping through the portal to the next, unlocking secrets and bonuses in the game of life. The magic of finding a cheat code to a game you thought was impossible, gaining high scores in clarity, purpose and reward.

2025 is a big milestone year for me, levelling up to 50 and celebrating a decade of marriage. Having my "life bible" always within reach will continue to energise me. Every insight, every lesson, every small victory, all captured and preserved, building a rich tapestry of growth and understanding that I can literally hold in my hands.

Every time I open my bullet journal, I'm physically connecting with my thoughts, dreams and daily life in a way that no digital tool can match. There's something profound about putting pen to paper, the way thoughts flow differently when they're not filtered through a keyboard. Our brains engage differently when writing by hand. We remember more, understand deeply, connect ideas in new ways.

Away from endless scroll and digital distraction, my analogue practice is an anchor to purpose, creating a mindful pause and space where creativity and clarity can flourish.

The analogue advantage and gaming your growth

I’ve written before about bullet journaling to take control of your life, but as that was more of an introductory piece I don’t know how well I articulated some of the really important WHY of it all;

• Physical connection to thoughts - Each stroke of the pen engages multiple senses, creating stronger neural pathways than typing ever could. When I look back at entries from months ago, I don't just read the words I remember the moment, the feeling, the context of writing them.

• Slower, deeper processing - Sometimes we need to slow down to level up. Writing by hand forces us to be more intentional with our words, leading to clearer thinking and better decision-making.

• Creative freedom - There's no template limiting your expression. One day might be neat lists, another might be wild mind maps or doodles. Your journal adapts to your needs, not the other way around.

For next year, I'm taking my journaling practice to a new level by also bringing in elements from gaming. Instead of seeing goals as daunting mountains to climb, I'm transforming them into an epic campaign of quests, achievements and skill trees.

My character sheet isn't a gimmick, it's a powerful visualisation tool that makes personal development tangible and engaging. I wasn’t ever very successful in the level 10 life practice, so I’m excited to concentrate on this method instead, as it really helps me to think of each key area of life as a stat to level up *grin* ;

• HEALTH in HP (hit points)

  • CON - constitution, physical health

  • VIT - vitality, energy levels, sleep

  • WIS - wisdom, emotional wellbeing

• ALLIANCES in XP (eXperience points)

  • CHA - charisma, relationship building

  • BON - bond, marriage strength

  • KIN - kinship, family & friends

• MANA in MP (mana points)

  • SPI - spirit, fun

  • VOL - volunteering, giving back

  • JOY - adventure & magic

• WEALTH in gold

  • INT - intelligence, career development & learning

  • PRO - prosperity, financial health

  • RES - resources, home & car management

While framing personal development as a game might seem whimsical at first, this approach taps into fundamental principles of behavioural psychology. Games keep us engaged through visible progress and regular reward, tracking our growth through stats and achievements creates powerful feedback loops that motivate lasting change.

Just like in games, each stat can be improved through daily "quests" and challenges. I can also ensure I am maintaining balance by picking out things to work on for each quadrant throughout the year. The beauty is seeing your progress mapped out in front of you, celebrating each small win as it contributes to your bigger picture vision.

Achievement Unlocked: Character Sheet Mastered! 🏆

The power of daily practice & looking forward

What makes bullet journaling so transformative is its reflective and habitual nature. Every morning, I open my journal and reconnect with my intentions. Every evening, I reflect on what I've learned. As I wrote in The Power of Starting Small, these tiny consistent actions create massive change over time.

My journal becomes a living document of growth. When I'm feeling stuck or unsure, I can flip back through its pages and see how far I've come. Each entry builds on the last, creating a personal mythology of transformation and resilience.

I've chosen EASY as my word for 2025, because I'm learning to work with my nature rather than against it. As I explored in What If It Were Easy?, we often overcomplicate things unnecessarily.

For instance, I used to approach fitness goals as if they are some huge project, mapping out detailed plans and trackers, researching endlessly and then feeling overwhelmed before even starting. Now, I treat my health journey like a side quest in a game; what's the simplest next action I can take today? Parking slightly further away or putting out my walking clothes the night before might seem small, but quick wins accumulate and make the process much more doable.

I’ve never been healthier or more active in my life so I know this approach works, I will build new tiny habits next year to add to my awesome 2024 wins.

Each new page in my gorgeous golden yellow book is an invitation to pause, reflect and intentionally shape the life I want to live.

Achievement Unlocked: Difficulty Settings Optimised! 🏆

Yellow journal breakthrough on ikigai and hatarakigai

You know those magical moments when everything suddenly comes together? When all your scattered thoughts and years of exploration crystallise into clarity? That's what happened as I started setting up my sunshine yellow companion for 2025.

Journal after journal, essay after essay, I've been refining my understanding of ikigai and hatarakigai, testing ideas, capturing insights, mapping connections. A laboratory for personal growth, each page an experiment in understanding. And *finally* in this bright yellow vessel of possibility, it is properly clicking into place.

I’m distilling my learning into clear frameworks as a quest guide for others too. Because let's face it, work consumes so much of our life energy, wouldn't it be epic if we could transform it from a daily grind into a source of purpose and joy?

We need skill trees like in a favourite RPG, logical progression paths that help you identify where you are and where you want to go. Whether you're crafting your current job into something more meaningful, planning a career change, or embarking on an entrepreneurial adventure, having a clear process makes the journey feel less overwhelming and more like an exciting quest to unlocking new achievements.

An area I’m still refining is how to balance the central role work plays in daily life with my desire for ease and meaning. With work consuming at least eight hours of most days, the temptation to strive for it to be this perfect thing, can be overwhelming. So I want to focus on creating balance by breaking this tension into manageable "quests". I’m starting to experiment with actionable steps, like identifying the small adjustments that make my workday easier, whether that’s automating repetitive tasks, setting clearer boundaries or approaching challenges with curiosity and compassion rather than stress. My goal is to root these changes in the mindset of ease, for myself and for others, and to use my journal as a tool to track progress, reflect on lessons and keep my intentions front and centre.

My breakthroughs wouldn't have happened without the consistent practice of journaling, of showing up page after page, journal after journal. Each iteration getting me closer to clarity, each reflection helping refine a process.

That's the true power of bullet journaling, creating a space where insights can emerge and ideas can evolve until they become something truly special.

Achievement Unlocked: Master Strategy Guide Created! 🏆

Multiplayer mode; your adventure awaits

Ready Player One? Starting your own game manual is simpler than you might think. You don't need legendary gear (though pretty pens are fun power-ups!).

Starting a bullet journal practice isn't just about getting organised, it's about creating a sacred space for your thoughts, dreams and growth. It's about having a tangible reminder of your journey and a powerful tool for shaping your future.

You don't need fancy supplies or artistic skills (though playing with colours and creativity is part of the joy for me!). You just need a notebook, a pen and the willingness to show up for yourself on paper.

Worried you’re not artistic or don’t have time? Bullet journaling isn’t perfection or spending ages crafting elaborate spreads. It’s whatever way works for you and your life, whether that’s jotting down quick lists, doodling your dreams or writing a single sentence about your day.

Your journal becomes whatever you need it to be, a quiet confidante, a planning powerhouse, a creativity catalyst, a memory keeper. The magic isn't in the system it's in the consistent practice of connecting with yourself through pen and paper.

Your personalised game manual guiding you through the twists and turns of life. Every page is a tutorial mission, every entry a new power-up. So grab your pen, start your journey and unlock the next level in the epic adventure of 2025!

Will you join me in this analogue revolution? In creating spaces for deeper thought, intentional living and joyful growth?

Sarah, seeking ikigai xxx

PS - Tutorial missions to get you started;

1. Roll (design) your ideal character stats

2. What daily quests would level up your most important skills?

3. How could applying the EASY cheat code solve a current challenge in your life?

4. What would you write if you had a sacred secret space just for your thoughts?

Let's make 2025 a year of intentional ease, mindful growth and analogue magic! Share your thoughts below, I'd love to hear how you might use these ideas in your own practice.

PPS - Achievement Unlocked: Essay Completed! 🏆

PPPS - I’d love to hear your feedback more broadly about the way I describe ikigai bullet journaling, I am in the middle of creating a YouTube video for my 2024 review and 2025 setup process and would love it to be as helpful as possible so more than happy to address any FAQs or constructive criticisms I receive.

Thank you *SO* much beautiful souls and I’m so very much wishing for you to have your happiest and healthiest year yet in 2025 … MWAH on your face and a huge tight squeezy hug until you SQUEAK!